Triumphrat

davetile

I just installed a new clutch basket in my 1960 bonne.
I put about 60 miles on it and it ran great. Went to check the primary chain freeplay and noticed the clutch basket was moving. I took the primary cover off to see what was up. I pulled on the basket and it moves in and out about a 1/16 inch maybe more. I also noticed that the chain rivits cut into the thin metal ring around the outside of the basket, but only on about 6 inches of the circumference. I took off the primary chain and kicked it over and the basket wobbles. I thought maybe the new basket was defective cause it wasn't straight to start with, so I put the old basket back on and kicked it over. Same thing, it wobbles. To get the back primary cover off I broke the hub that the basket's rubber splines on to. I used a home made puller. It snapped a piece of the back of the hub off so I welded an old socket to the hub with a nut welded to the top and put in a bolt and the hub came right out. Guess I should have bought the tool!! Turns out a new hub isn't available so my parts guy found me a used one. I didn't buy new bearing balls for the basket. Is the transmission shaft bent? Are the ball bearings bad? I also noticed that the basket cut a very fine line on the inside of the primary cover. The transmission seal doesn't leak. Should I just keep on riding this way or will there be a catastrophe?

NHOJ from Maine

sounds like a bent mainshaft.
i had the same prob. when the previous owner had the primary chain snap.
it winds around the clutch drum, and against the cover, and will bend the main shaft.
i would replace the mainshaft, otherwise, you will eat primary chains, clucth drums, and greatly increase your chain of the primary chain breaking.